My Approach
Some people find their way to therapy in the middle of a hard season. Others come because they sense something deeper is possible — that the life they’re living doesn’t quite match the life they feel capable of. Whatever brings you here, I believe healing is absolutely possible, particularly with courage, commitment and engagement from both of us.
I bring my whole self to this work with a deep reverence for what it means to sit with another person in their most vulnerable moments. Healing cannot be rushed, imposed, or delivered on a predetermined timeline. It unfolds at the pace of genuine safety and trust — and my role is to accompany that unfolding with patience, skill, and care. I am not here to fix you. I am here to walk alongside you as you find your way back to yourself.
I work primarily from an Internal Family Systems (IFS) framework — an approach that doesn't pathologize any part of you, but instead brings curiosity and compassion to the patterns that have been hardest to change. IFS understands the human psyche as beautifully complex, with different parts of us holding different experiences, beliefs, and protective strategies. Beneath every pattern that holds you back is a part of you that has been trying, in its own way, to help.
When trauma is part of the story, I integrate EMDR and the FLASH Technique alongside IFS — approaches that work gently but powerfully with the nervous system to process what words alone sometimes cannot reach. And when building new skills feels important, I draw on tools from ACT, and DBT — practical, evidence-based frameworks that support lasting change in how we relate to our thoughts, emotions, and lives.
Whatever the work calls for, the approach adapts. What remains constant is the quality of presence and the depth of care I bring to every session.
Who I Work With
I work with adults navigating depression and anxiety, life transitions, relationship challenges, parenting, grief, and identity exploration. I particularly love working with people who are ready for more than symptom management — who are open to exploring patterns that are no longer serving them and willing to bring their full selves to the process as I bring mine. I have a long-standing relationship with the University of Washington community and have worked extensively with undergraduate and graduate students and have held a contract with the UW Intercollegiate Athletics to serve the mental health needs of collegiate athletes for nearly a decade. I have also worked extensively with physicians, residents and other medical professionals at the University of Washington Medical Center, a population whose particular pressures and culture I understand well and care deeply about. For parents navigating the particular exhaustion and love of raising children with complex needs, I bring both clinical grounding and personal understanding to this work. If any of this resonates I would be glad to hear from you.
Background
I have spent over twenty years doing this work across a range of settings — from the University of Washington Medical Center and the VA Puget Sound to public schools and private practice. That breadth has given me something no single setting could — a deep understanding of human struggle across the full spectrum of life experience. I hold an MSW from the University of Washington and previously served as a clinical faculty member at the UW School of Social Work, where I supervised masters-level clinicians seeking licensure. I have been in private practice with Cedar Tree Counseling Services since 2017.
What I offer
Individual counseling for adults (18 and over) in the following areas:
I draw from the following clinical perspectives:
Individual Clinical Supervision
“We have the power to create our lives from the inside out.” — Sharon Salzberg
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” — Viktor E. Frankl